Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including an epic six-film series dedicated to the brand new restorations of the films of Nina Menkes. The slate also includes a Brian De Palma double bill with Obsession and Body Double as well as Paul Schrader’s Hardcore.
Additional highlights include the Andrea Riseborough-led Please Baby Please, three films by Eugene Kotlyarenko, a Ghost in the Shell double bill, and, ahead of their release of Passages later this year, Ira Sach’s Little Men.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
March 1 – Glass Life, directed by Sara Cwynar | Brief Encounters
March 2 – The Great Sadness of Zohara, directed by Nina Menkes | Phantom Cinema: The Films of Nina Menkes
March 3 – Please Baby Please, directed by Amanda Kramer | Mubi Spotlight
March 4 – Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader
March 5 – Kedi, directed by Ceyda Torun
March 6 – Magdalena Viraga, directed by...
Additional highlights include the Andrea Riseborough-led Please Baby Please, three films by Eugene Kotlyarenko, a Ghost in the Shell double bill, and, ahead of their release of Passages later this year, Ira Sach’s Little Men.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
March 1 – Glass Life, directed by Sara Cwynar | Brief Encounters
March 2 – The Great Sadness of Zohara, directed by Nina Menkes | Phantom Cinema: The Films of Nina Menkes
March 3 – Please Baby Please, directed by Amanda Kramer | Mubi Spotlight
March 4 – Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader
March 5 – Kedi, directed by Ceyda Torun
March 6 – Magdalena Viraga, directed by...
- 2/21/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Elizabeth Lo’s film about the street dogs of the Turkish metropolis is the perfect companion piece to Kedi, a 2016 work about its cats
At last, just what world cinema really needs right now: an exquisitely made film about street dogs in Istanbul, satiating that universal desire to see distant lands, coo over beautiful, noble animals, and satisfy the audience’s need to feel guilty about the misfortune of poorer, unluckier people. Director Elizabeth Lo’s first feature-length documentary ticks every box, while also providing a companion piece to Kedi, Ceyda Torun’s equally wonderful ode to Istanbul and Turkey’s feral felines. Together, the two films would make the perfect night in of viewing for quarantined animal lovers with frustrated wanderlust, especially anyone who loves the magnificently grotty Bosphorus metropolis.
Filmed seemingly with a low-slung camera held for great chunks of the running time at dog-head height, the film...
At last, just what world cinema really needs right now: an exquisitely made film about street dogs in Istanbul, satiating that universal desire to see distant lands, coo over beautiful, noble animals, and satisfy the audience’s need to feel guilty about the misfortune of poorer, unluckier people. Director Elizabeth Lo’s first feature-length documentary ticks every box, while also providing a companion piece to Kedi, Ceyda Torun’s equally wonderful ode to Istanbul and Turkey’s feral felines. Together, the two films would make the perfect night in of viewing for quarantined animal lovers with frustrated wanderlust, especially anyone who loves the magnificently grotty Bosphorus metropolis.
Filmed seemingly with a low-slung camera held for great chunks of the running time at dog-head height, the film...
- 3/23/2021
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
It has long been said that we really don’t deserve dogs. Their loyalty, their love, their undivided attention. And considering humanity’s cruel and atrocious track record in how we treat man’s best friend, there really is a lot of weight to this argument. We breed them, beat them, sell them on the internet and even maim them for sadistic fun or greed. Dogs (and animals in general for that matter) are the best of the world and, while falling victim to the biggest scum on this earth, they can also bring out the best of us, and in Elizabeth Lo’s utterly captivating documentary Stray, we have a moving testament to the power of dogs in the face of life’s harshness. As well as one of the most emotionally investing documentaries of the year.
Just like Ceyda Torun’s Kedi did with cats, Lo’s Stray shows us the joy,...
Just like Ceyda Torun’s Kedi did with cats, Lo’s Stray shows us the joy,...
- 3/22/2021
- by Jack Bottomley
- The Cultural Post
I first heard of “Stray” in conjunction with “Kedi,” Ceyda Torun’s wildly popular 2017 documentary on the cats of Istanbul. After all, Elizabeth Lo’s feature debut sounds like it has a similar premise, only dog-version: it revolves around the story of a few stray dogs roaming the streets of the very same city.. The two documentaries, however, are entirely different beasts. “Kedi” is quite visibly an urban ode to Torun’s hometown; “Stray,” on the other hand, follows its pooch protagonists more closely instead. Though neither film is necessarily narrative-driven, “Stray” maintains a more concentrated focus on its three canines than on the actual city of Istanbul.
In fact, Istanbul serves more as an antagonistic backdrop than an essential character in the story. “Stray” opens with an ominous note: on a black title card, Lo briefly recounts the Turkish government’s 20th century attempts to exterminate street dog-kind. This is followed,...
In fact, Istanbul serves more as an antagonistic backdrop than an essential character in the story. “Stray” opens with an ominous note: on a black title card, Lo briefly recounts the Turkish government’s 20th century attempts to exterminate street dog-kind. This is followed,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Istanbul’s charming stray cat population has already gotten the big screen treatment — care of Ceyda Torun’s loving 2017 hit documentary “Kedi” — and now it’s time for the city’s equally compelling canine community to get the same cinematic story. Elizabeth Lo’s feature documentary debut, “Stray,” follows a trio of engaging strays as their lives unfold around the big city, complete with adventures, drama, and the formation of some heart-warming bonds with many of the city’s human denizens.
Per its official synopsis, the film “explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays — Zeytin, Nazar, and Kartal — as they embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society that allow us an unvarnished portrait of human life — and their own canine culture. Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal,...
Per its official synopsis, the film “explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays — Zeytin, Nazar, and Kartal — as they embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society that allow us an unvarnished portrait of human life — and their own canine culture. Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
There's a philosophical air to Elizabeth Lo's feature debut documentary that doesn't just stem from the intertitle cards bearing dog/human quotes from the likes of Diogenes. Although her focus is on the strays that roam the streets of Istanbul - once exterminated in large numbers by the government but now, following years of protest, ear-tagged and left to do their own thing - the wider human world is reflected through the prism of the dog's domain.
The chief dog in question is Zeytin. Described early in the film by a passer-by as "beautiful", it's hard to argue with the sentiment. There's a statuesque quality to this tan hound and, for the most part, an astounding level of tranquility that sees her unphased by everything from the attention of toddlers to cars whizzing just inches from her as she lazes by the road. Ceyda Torun previously got down to...
The chief dog in question is Zeytin. Described early in the film by a passer-by as "beautiful", it's hard to argue with the sentiment. There's a statuesque quality to this tan hound and, for the most part, an astounding level of tranquility that sees her unphased by everything from the attention of toddlers to cars whizzing just inches from her as she lazes by the road. Ceyda Torun previously got down to...
- 10/5/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American rights to “Stray,” a documentary about the stray dogs of Istanbul, from London-based doc distributor Dogwoof.
Marking Elizabeth Lo’s directorial debut, the film takes a canine’s-eye-view of the streets of Istanbul, and follows three dogs — Zeytin, Nazar and Kartel — as they roam free, offering a unique take on the Turkish city and its inhabitants. The dogs’ lives ultimately intersect when they bond with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them.
Originally slated to bow in April at the postponed Tribeca Film Festival, Variety critic Tomris Laffly describes “Stray” as conveying “the wholesomeness of humans’ four-legged best friends, but also the soulful voice of an exciting new filmmaker with immense moral queries on her mind.”
The doc joins a small but mighty group of films to set their sights on the stray animals of Istanbul. Ceyda Torun’s...
Marking Elizabeth Lo’s directorial debut, the film takes a canine’s-eye-view of the streets of Istanbul, and follows three dogs — Zeytin, Nazar and Kartel — as they roam free, offering a unique take on the Turkish city and its inhabitants. The dogs’ lives ultimately intersect when they bond with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them.
Originally slated to bow in April at the postponed Tribeca Film Festival, Variety critic Tomris Laffly describes “Stray” as conveying “the wholesomeness of humans’ four-legged best friends, but also the soulful voice of an exciting new filmmaker with immense moral queries on her mind.”
The doc joins a small but mighty group of films to set their sights on the stray animals of Istanbul. Ceyda Torun’s...
- 6/11/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The Turkish word zeytin, which means “olive,” sometimes doubles as a complimentary adjective used to define a pair of deeply expressive, dark-colored eyes. With that context in mind, the Istanbul street dog much of Elizabeth Lo’s virtuosic feature documentary debut “Stray” tracks couldn’t have been more appropriately named. From the first moment Lo, an award-winning filmmaker of mostly documentary shorts, graces the screen with a closeup of Zeytin, it’s the canine’s eyes that register. Possessing a dramatic screen quality with her striking gaze, elegant lashes and playfully twitching and raising eyebrows, Zeytin steadily lends the film a piece of her incorruptible purity that at once enchants and strengthens spirits.
Thanks to the mutt’s magnificent orbs, one feels a soul-baring affinity with the fearless Zeytin as she searches for kindness while wandering and conquering the streets of Istanbul. It’s a tough town, but the young...
Thanks to the mutt’s magnificent orbs, one feels a soul-baring affinity with the fearless Zeytin as she searches for kindness while wandering and conquering the streets of Istanbul. It’s a tough town, but the young...
- 4/27/2020
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Dogs have been an object of fascination for cinema since its early days, a phenomenon only intensified by the moving images of the social media age. Despite decades of competition, however, “Stray” stands out for inhabiting their point of view. Elizabeth Lo’s gorgeous, absorbing snapshot of several stray dogs on the streets of Istanbul spends most of its concise 72 minutes hovering at the height of its subjects, as the camera hangs alongside them, adopting a mystical and even envious tone to their rough-and-tumble routines. , but “Stray” has almost as much to say about the people who come across the homeless creatures at its center.
The most obvious precedent for Lo’s approach is “Kedi,” Ceyda Torun’s 2016 breakout hit about cats roaming the same city streets. However, while Torun fixated on the carefree individualism of the feline spirit, “Stray” doubles down on the wandering nature of man’s best...
The most obvious precedent for Lo’s approach is “Kedi,” Ceyda Torun’s 2016 breakout hit about cats roaming the same city streets. However, while Torun fixated on the carefree individualism of the feline spirit, “Stray” doubles down on the wandering nature of man’s best...
- 4/25/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
African Cats If you've been watching the tale of big cat sales and venal scheming in The Tiger King on Netflix or you caught up with Blackfish after we recommended it in this week's Stay-At-Home Seven and you're looking for a few films to restore your faith in relation in terms of human's animal husbandry and conservation, we thought we'd turn our attention to some more documentaries that focus on the natural world - often in a more positive light - for this week's spotlight.
KEDi, Amazon Prime
It was pretty heartbreaking seeing the big cats in enclosures or being passed round for petting in The Tiger King, so Ceyda Torun’s documentary about their much smaller cousins comes as a breath of fresh air. Her documentary follows the street cats of the Turkish capital Istanbul. The film follows these crafty felines on their daily manoeuvrings in the city’s streets,...
KEDi, Amazon Prime
It was pretty heartbreaking seeing the big cats in enclosures or being passed round for petting in The Tiger King, so Ceyda Torun’s documentary about their much smaller cousins comes as a breath of fresh air. Her documentary follows the street cats of the Turkish capital Istanbul. The film follows these crafty felines on their daily manoeuvrings in the city’s streets,...
- 4/10/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
London-based documentary distributor Dogwoof has acquired dog documentary “Stray,” which was slated to bow at April’s now-postponed Tribeca Film Festival.
The doc specialist has picked up world rights to the Turkey-set film, which also marks Dogwoof’s first dog-centric sales documentary.
The doc takes a canine’s eye-view of the streets of Istanbul, and follows three dogs — Zeytin, Nazar and Kartel — as they roam the city, offering a unique take on Istanbul and its inhabitants. The dogs’ lives ultimately intersect when they bond with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them.
The deal was brokered by Oli Harbottle, head of distribution and acquisitions at Dogwoof, working directly with the filmmakers. Dogwoof will be presenting the film to buyers in the coming weeks with a view to releasing the film in cinemas this fall.
“Stray” was directed, shot and edited by Elizabeth Lo and produced by Lo and Shane Boris.
The doc specialist has picked up world rights to the Turkey-set film, which also marks Dogwoof’s first dog-centric sales documentary.
The doc takes a canine’s eye-view of the streets of Istanbul, and follows three dogs — Zeytin, Nazar and Kartel — as they roam the city, offering a unique take on Istanbul and its inhabitants. The dogs’ lives ultimately intersect when they bond with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them.
The deal was brokered by Oli Harbottle, head of distribution and acquisitions at Dogwoof, working directly with the filmmakers. Dogwoof will be presenting the film to buyers in the coming weeks with a view to releasing the film in cinemas this fall.
“Stray” was directed, shot and edited by Elizabeth Lo and produced by Lo and Shane Boris.
- 3/26/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
At a time when the world is changing at an unquantifiable pace, when menacing world powers threaten everything we hold dear, we often look to the movies to bring the chaos into focus. In 2017, even the best escapism came with a dose of harsh truths about struggles facing civilization today, and the best movies went to places woefully ignored by the culture at large. When the mood of the moment is #resist and the future often looks more like a fake-news frenzy than the audacity of hope, the resilience of this art form is in sync with the zeitgeist.
I stand by the credo that anyone who thinks this was a bad year for the movies simply hasn’t seen enough of them. As the years progress, my own year-end tallies continue to grow. I offered 16 highlights at the end of 2016; here are 17 for 2017. Watch them all, try to make...
I stand by the credo that anyone who thinks this was a bad year for the movies simply hasn’t seen enough of them. As the years progress, my own year-end tallies continue to grow. I offered 16 highlights at the end of 2016; here are 17 for 2017. Watch them all, try to make...
- 12/1/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Like a cat that sneaks up stealthily behind you, no one saw the success of Kedi coming. "In the beginning all the festivals that we were applying to were turning us down," recalls Ceyda Torun, director of the documentary about the felines of Istanbul. "Sales agents were saying, ‘We don’t know how to sell this film.'" Despite the initially skeptical reception, Kedi would go on to become one of the biggest doc hits of the year, collecting $2.8 million at the box office in…...
- 11/30/2017
- Deadline
I’d imagine every one of us, despite our individual life situations, however privileged or difficult they may be, wouldn’t have too much trouble coming up with a pretty long list of people and circumstances for which to be grateful, during the upcoming week traditionally reserved for the expression of thanks as well as throughout the entirety of the year.
Even in our brave new world, where gratitude and humility and generosity of spirit often seem to be in short supply, at the mercy of greed, abuse of power, disregard for the rule of law, and megalomaniac self-interest cynically masquerading as an aggressive strain of nationalist, populist passion, there are good, everyday reasons to look around and take stock of blessings in one’s immediate surroundings.
And speaking specifically as one who has the privilege and opportunity to occasionally write about matters concerning the movies, and even a (very...
Even in our brave new world, where gratitude and humility and generosity of spirit often seem to be in short supply, at the mercy of greed, abuse of power, disregard for the rule of law, and megalomaniac self-interest cynically masquerading as an aggressive strain of nationalist, populist passion, there are good, everyday reasons to look around and take stock of blessings in one’s immediate surroundings.
And speaking specifically as one who has the privilege and opportunity to occasionally write about matters concerning the movies, and even a (very...
- 11/23/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
This interview about “Kedi” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine. Some of the most fascinating characters in this year’s Oscar-contending documentaries aren’t even human. Ceyda Torun’s “Kedi,” for instance, is a look at some of the street cats who roam free in Istanbul, a phenomenon that has been taking place for centuries – and its feline stars Bengu, Deniz, Duman and more are as indelible as any people you’ll meet in 2017’s non-fiction films. “Growing up in Turkey, we had two TV channels when I was a kid,” Torun told TheWrap.
- 11/21/2017
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Ceyda Torun knew exactly what she wanted to be the subject of her first feature film: the street cats of Istanbul, her hometown. The result? “Kedi,” a documentary about a handful of the hundreds of thousands of cats that wander the streets of the Turkish city freely.
Read More:How ‘Finding Oscar’ Turned the Camera on the Horrors of Guatemalan Genocide
“I grew up literally with these cats in the backyards of our apartment building,” Torun told IndieWire Editor at Large Anne Thompson in a Q&A following a showing of the film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series. “In my childhood 30 years ago, we didn’t have technology, we didn’t have more than TV stations, so literally these cats were my world. When we left the country and started living elsewhere from the time that I was 11, the one thing that was missing were the cats.
Read More:How ‘Finding Oscar’ Turned the Camera on the Horrors of Guatemalan Genocide
“I grew up literally with these cats in the backyards of our apartment building,” Torun told IndieWire Editor at Large Anne Thompson in a Q&A following a showing of the film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series. “In my childhood 30 years ago, we didn’t have technology, we didn’t have more than TV stations, so literally these cats were my world. When we left the country and started living elsewhere from the time that I was 11, the one thing that was missing were the cats.
- 11/21/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
Jairus McLeary in the Soho House screening room on The Work: "It's very masculine. That's why Amy Foote, our editor, and Alice Henty, the producer, they were the first women to see this footage." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Rebecca Miller's Arthur Miller: Writer; Doug Nichol's California Typewriter; Andrew Rossi on Okwui Okpokwasili's Bronx Gothic; Elvira Lind's Bobbi Jene; Michael Almereyda's Escapes on Hampton Fancher; Brett Morgen's Jane on Jane Goodall; Ceyda Torun's KEDi; Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum's Letters From Baghdad with Tilda Swinton voicing Getrude Bell; Griffin Dunne's Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane's School Life; Ferne Pearlstein's The Last Laugh; Lara Stolman's Swim Team; Kirk Simon's The Pulitzer At 100, and Josh Koury and Myles Kane's Voyeur on Gay Talese...
Rebecca Miller's Arthur Miller: Writer; Doug Nichol's California Typewriter; Andrew Rossi on Okwui Okpokwasili's Bronx Gothic; Elvira Lind's Bobbi Jene; Michael Almereyda's Escapes on Hampton Fancher; Brett Morgen's Jane on Jane Goodall; Ceyda Torun's KEDi; Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum's Letters From Baghdad with Tilda Swinton voicing Getrude Bell; Griffin Dunne's Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold; Agnès Varda and Jr's Faces Places; Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane's School Life; Ferne Pearlstein's The Last Laugh; Lara Stolman's Swim Team; Kirk Simon's The Pulitzer At 100, and Josh Koury and Myles Kane's Voyeur on Gay Talese...
- 11/17/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ceyda Torun spent her youth in Istanbul, where cats roam the streets and are cared for by the community. She returned to Turkey for her film Kedi (Turkish for "cat"), which follows seven feline protagonists and the humans who tend to them.
How did you decide to make this movie?
I did grow up with the cats exactly as you see them as a child in the backyard of my apartment building in Istanbul. They were part of the, sort of the fabric of my childhood memories. When we formed our company about four years ago and we were looking...
How did you decide to make this movie?
I did grow up with the cats exactly as you see them as a child in the backyard of my apartment building in Istanbul. They were part of the, sort of the fabric of my childhood memories. When we formed our company about four years ago and we were looking...
- 11/10/2017
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman)
Burgeoning sexuality is the basis for nearly all coming-of-age films, but with her specific eye, Eliza Hittman makes it feel like we’re watching this genre unfold for the first time. With only two features to her name, she’s captured the experience with a sensuality and intimacy nearly unprecedented in American independent filmmaking. Following 2013’s It Felt Like Love, the writer-director follows it with...
Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman)
Burgeoning sexuality is the basis for nearly all coming-of-age films, but with her specific eye, Eliza Hittman makes it feel like we’re watching this genre unfold for the first time. With only two features to her name, she’s captured the experience with a sensuality and intimacy nearly unprecedented in American independent filmmaking. Following 2013’s It Felt Like Love, the writer-director follows it with...
- 11/10/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Brett Morgen’s Jane Goodall documentary “Jane” was named the best nonfiction film of 2017 at the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, which were held on Thursday evening at Bric in Brooklyn, New York.
Ten different films were given awards by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association, with no film receiving more than one honor. The Best Director category was a tie between Evgeny Afineevsky for “Cries From Syria” and Frederick Wiseman for “Ex Libris: The New York Public Library.”
Ceyda Torun’s film about cats in Istanbul,...
Ten different films were given awards by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association, with no film receiving more than one honor. The Best Director category was a tie between Evgeny Afineevsky for “Cries From Syria” and Frederick Wiseman for “Ex Libris: The New York Public Library.”
Ceyda Torun’s film about cats in Istanbul,...
- 11/3/2017
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
As 2017 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up, and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.
Curated from the Best Films of 2017 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
Curated from the Best Films of 2017 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
- 10/25/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Jr's Faces Places (Visages villages) co-director Agnès Varda at her Blum & Poe exhibition Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Last year's Doc NYC Short List programme had the five Documentary Feature Oscar nominees - Ava DuVernay's 13th; Roger Ross Williams's Life, Animated; Raoul Peck's I Am Not Your Negro; Gianfranco Rosi's Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare), and the 89th Academy Award winner, Oj: Made In America, directed by Ezra Edelman.
Brett Morgen's Jane Goodall documentary Jane with a score by Philip Glass; Ceyda Torun's KEDi, and Agnès Varda and Jr's Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Award winner Faces Places (culminating in a visit to Jean-Luc Godard's front door) from the Doc NYC Short List selections and Blue Velvet Revisited (featuring David Lynch, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Jack Nance), directed by Peter Braatz (who was second unit on...
Last year's Doc NYC Short List programme had the five Documentary Feature Oscar nominees - Ava DuVernay's 13th; Roger Ross Williams's Life, Animated; Raoul Peck's I Am Not Your Negro; Gianfranco Rosi's Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare), and the 89th Academy Award winner, Oj: Made In America, directed by Ezra Edelman.
Brett Morgen's Jane Goodall documentary Jane with a score by Philip Glass; Ceyda Torun's KEDi, and Agnès Varda and Jr's Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Award winner Faces Places (culminating in a visit to Jean-Luc Godard's front door) from the Doc NYC Short List selections and Blue Velvet Revisited (featuring David Lynch, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Jack Nance), directed by Peter Braatz (who was second unit on...
- 10/22/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A documentary about Turkish cats led all films in nominations for the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, with docs about Syria, the environment, typewriters and buried silent films following close behind. Ceyda Torun’s “Kedi,” a playful examination of the many cats that run free in Istanbul, landed four nominations, including Best Documentary and Best Director. In addition, its feline subjects were one of seven winners in the Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary category. (The others were all human.) Films that received three nominations were Doug Nichol’s “California Typewriter,” Jeff Orlowski’s “Chasing Coral,” Matthew Heineman’s “City of Ghosts,...
- 10/9/2017
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Kedi, an extraordinary documentary about the street cats of Istanbul, leads all contenders in nominations for the second annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, set for November 2 at Bric in Brooklyn. With nods for Best Documentary, Best First Documentary, Most Innovative Documentary, Best Director for Ceyda Torun, as well as the Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary honor for its four-legged stars, Kedi made an impressive showing while also clearly…...
- 10/9/2017
- Deadline
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
- 9/28/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.
Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
- 9/28/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Yes, we know: It’s a little premature to assemble a list of the best movies of the year when there’s so much left of it. We have yet to see a lot of exciting new work from major auteurs like Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), Alexander Payne (“Downsizing”), and Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), not to mention heavy-hitting studio-produced spectacles like “Blade Runner 2049” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” But those last two wouldn’t even qualify for this list of the best independent films of the year, anyway, and they’ll have plenty of time to hog the spotlight.
Fortunately, we’ve found plenty of movies from around the world to celebrate, and while they haven’t all been box office sensations, they provide overwhelming evidence that the art form is thriving well into the second decade of the new millennium, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Fortunately, we’ve found plenty of movies from around the world to celebrate, and while they haven’t all been box office sensations, they provide overwhelming evidence that the art form is thriving well into the second decade of the new millennium, and shows no signs of slowing down.
- 7/4/2017
- by Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich, Anne Thompson, Kate Erbland and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
There’s more to Ceyda Torun’s film about Istanbul street cats than cuddly sentimentality
Turkish director Ceyda Torun’s slender documentary spends 80 minutes with Istanbul’s street cats. There is Sari, a lanky ginger cat that mews her way into apartments, slinking around for scraps to feed her kittens; Bengü, a needy brown tabby with enormous green eyes; Duman, a plump, picky eater who feasts on smoked turkey and speciality cheese. The cats are captured with adoring attentiveness, their intelligent eyes narrowing to slits, their darting movements, a patch of sun-warmed fur, the way one kitten clambers a market stall to paw a pile of oranges. However, the film goes for more than mere cuteness (and cute it is, with its jaunty, twinkly score). Torun is interested in both the spiritual and the practical relationship the animals have with the community that comes into daily contact with them, looking at gentrification,...
Turkish director Ceyda Torun’s slender documentary spends 80 minutes with Istanbul’s street cats. There is Sari, a lanky ginger cat that mews her way into apartments, slinking around for scraps to feed her kittens; Bengü, a needy brown tabby with enormous green eyes; Duman, a plump, picky eater who feasts on smoked turkey and speciality cheese. The cats are captured with adoring attentiveness, their intelligent eyes narrowing to slits, their darting movements, a patch of sun-warmed fur, the way one kitten clambers a market stall to paw a pile of oranges. However, the film goes for more than mere cuteness (and cute it is, with its jaunty, twinkly score). Torun is interested in both the spiritual and the practical relationship the animals have with the community that comes into daily contact with them, looking at gentrification,...
- 7/2/2017
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
Director Ceyda Torun trails the sleek and eerie feline population of the Turkish city in a sweet-natured documentary
Here is a sweet-natured documentary from Turkish film-maker Ceyda Torun celebrating the street cats of Istanbul, who are assigned different names, characteristics etc. (“Kedi” is Turkish for cat.)
It is by turns intriguing, amusing and a little bit twee. I enjoyed it, but at 79 minutes it feels like a marvellous 20-minute piece that has been overextended, and for me cat-worship-overload kicks in quickly, like reading more than a few syllables of Ts Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
Continue reading...
Here is a sweet-natured documentary from Turkish film-maker Ceyda Torun celebrating the street cats of Istanbul, who are assigned different names, characteristics etc. (“Kedi” is Turkish for cat.)
It is by turns intriguing, amusing and a little bit twee. I enjoyed it, but at 79 minutes it feels like a marvellous 20-minute piece that has been overextended, and for me cat-worship-overload kicks in quickly, like reading more than a few syllables of Ts Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
Continue reading...
- 6/29/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Stefan Pape
You only need to spend a few minutes on Facebook to acknowledge our love of felines. It’s an appreciation verging on obsession, and so should make this Ceyda Torun documentary Kedi a rather enticing endeavour. It’s a fine concept too, for we profile and explore Istanbul, it’s culture, heritage and its people – all through the eyes of one of its most curious inhabitants; the cat.
The feature moves seamlessly from cat to cat, watching them as they protect their offspring, hunt for food, and generally just lie around in the afternoon waiting for affection from the locals. The film studies the relationship between the animal kingdom and mankind, and how both have such a big impact on the other – particularly in a city where cats roam free, so rarely domesticated, nor under any ownership.
The problem is, such is the reverence for cats amongst the Turkish population,...
You only need to spend a few minutes on Facebook to acknowledge our love of felines. It’s an appreciation verging on obsession, and so should make this Ceyda Torun documentary Kedi a rather enticing endeavour. It’s a fine concept too, for we profile and explore Istanbul, it’s culture, heritage and its people – all through the eyes of one of its most curious inhabitants; the cat.
The feature moves seamlessly from cat to cat, watching them as they protect their offspring, hunt for food, and generally just lie around in the afternoon waiting for affection from the locals. The film studies the relationship between the animal kingdom and mankind, and how both have such a big impact on the other – particularly in a city where cats roam free, so rarely domesticated, nor under any ownership.
The problem is, such is the reverence for cats amongst the Turkish population,...
- 6/28/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Films with cats are cool and mysterious. Mutt movies are a soppy wet lick to the face. No surprise then which Hollywood favours
It is a truth universally acknowledged that not only are cats better than dogs, but cat films are better than dog films. Proof of this arrives on Friday with the release of Kedi, an Istanbul-set documentary by the first-time feature director Ceyda Torun. Kedi is named after one of several characterful cats whose daily lives feature in the film. The stories of these cats are fondly and reverently told by human acolytes, and the film is full of the kind of strange, profound moments of wisdom that only occur when staring into an animal’s inscrutable, calm eyes.
That’s in contrast to, say, A Dog’s Purpose, a film about a dog’s reincarnating spirit and its various sad-sack owners that was released earlier this year,...
It is a truth universally acknowledged that not only are cats better than dogs, but cat films are better than dog films. Proof of this arrives on Friday with the release of Kedi, an Istanbul-set documentary by the first-time feature director Ceyda Torun. Kedi is named after one of several characterful cats whose daily lives feature in the film. The stories of these cats are fondly and reverently told by human acolytes, and the film is full of the kind of strange, profound moments of wisdom that only occur when staring into an animal’s inscrutable, calm eyes.
That’s in contrast to, say, A Dog’s Purpose, a film about a dog’s reincarnating spirit and its various sad-sack owners that was released earlier this year,...
- 6/28/2017
- by Ellen E Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
KEDi director Ceyda Torun: "Cats are so omnipresent." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
There are film cat people such as Michael Haneke seen in Yves Montmayeur's Michael H - Profession: Director with Yves' cat Félix, Isabelle Huppert in Paul Verhoeven's Elle and Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come, Céline's Bébert in Emmanuel Bourdieu's Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Robert De Niro with Lil Bub of Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner's Lil Bub & Friendz at the Tribeca Film Festival and then there is Ceyda Torun's sharp-eyed documentary KEDi with Istanbul as cat central.
Duman has an unforgettable style of scoring little plates of smoked turkey and slices of Manchego cheese
In 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art for Funny Games (starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet), when Michael Haneke was asked by Ed Bahlman if he had any pets, he stated that he is "a cat person.
There are film cat people such as Michael Haneke seen in Yves Montmayeur's Michael H - Profession: Director with Yves' cat Félix, Isabelle Huppert in Paul Verhoeven's Elle and Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come, Céline's Bébert in Emmanuel Bourdieu's Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Robert De Niro with Lil Bub of Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner's Lil Bub & Friendz at the Tribeca Film Festival and then there is Ceyda Torun's sharp-eyed documentary KEDi with Istanbul as cat central.
Duman has an unforgettable style of scoring little plates of smoked turkey and slices of Manchego cheese
In 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art for Funny Games (starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet), when Michael Haneke was asked by Ed Bahlman if he had any pets, he stated that he is "a cat person.
- 6/27/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
There are no recognizable stars in Ceyda Torun’s “Kedi,” no marquee names, no box office heavy hitters. There aren’t even that many humans – instead, the documentary focuses on a cross-section of feral cats that roam Istanbul, where they are lovingly looked after by various members of the community, a unique bond that Torun’s film charmingly portrays.
Now in its ninth week in release, “Kedi” has made over $2.2 million at the box office, making it Oscilloscope’s second highest-grossing film of all-time (and coming up close on the heels of their number one, the 2012 doc “Samsara,” which made $2.67 million during its own run). It’s also the third highest-grossing foreign-language documentary of all time (behind “Babies” and “Pina”). Not bad for an indie doc about feral felines.
Bolstered by stellar reviews – the film currently holds a 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes – and strong word of mouth, the film has...
Now in its ninth week in release, “Kedi” has made over $2.2 million at the box office, making it Oscilloscope’s second highest-grossing film of all-time (and coming up close on the heels of their number one, the 2012 doc “Samsara,” which made $2.67 million during its own run). It’s also the third highest-grossing foreign-language documentary of all time (behind “Babies” and “Pina”). Not bad for an indie doc about feral felines.
Bolstered by stellar reviews – the film currently holds a 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes – and strong word of mouth, the film has...
- 4/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Sari's kittens in Ceyda Torun's KEDi, her sharp-eyed documentary on what it means to be a cat in present day Istanbul.
Cat people Michael Haneke, Haruki Murakami, Isabelle Huppert in Paul Verhoeven's Elle and Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come, and Emmanuel Bourdieu's Bébert in Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Kazuki Kitamura and Tamanojo in Takeshi Watanabe and Yoshitaka Yamaguchi's Samurai Cat (Neko zamurai), Robert De Niro favourite Lil Bub of Lil Bub & Friendz, and Sebastián Lelio when he spoke on Gloria, are the supporting cast in my conversation with Ceyda Torun at the Bowery Hotel in New York.
On following Sari - on her level: "It's all the nimble handiwork of Charlie Wuppermann, my cinematographer, and Alp Korfalı, who is a local, great cinematographer himself."
KEDi is a carefully and joyfully assembled collage of our interspecies interactions. Istanbul is cat city. They arrived thousands of years ago and...
Cat people Michael Haneke, Haruki Murakami, Isabelle Huppert in Paul Verhoeven's Elle and Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come, and Emmanuel Bourdieu's Bébert in Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Kazuki Kitamura and Tamanojo in Takeshi Watanabe and Yoshitaka Yamaguchi's Samurai Cat (Neko zamurai), Robert De Niro favourite Lil Bub of Lil Bub & Friendz, and Sebastián Lelio when he spoke on Gloria, are the supporting cast in my conversation with Ceyda Torun at the Bowery Hotel in New York.
On following Sari - on her level: "It's all the nimble handiwork of Charlie Wuppermann, my cinematographer, and Alp Korfalı, who is a local, great cinematographer himself."
KEDi is a carefully and joyfully assembled collage of our interspecies interactions. Istanbul is cat city. They arrived thousands of years ago and...
- 3/27/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In many ways, it’s only natural that a film like Kedi should come along. The internet loves cats, of course. Even if the internet doesn’t necessarily deserve cats. And a documentary about cats is a no-brainer of a concept (we’ll pretend Lil Bub & Friendz doesn’t exist because it is terrible). The real surprise then isn’t that Kedi exists, but that it quietly subverts any lazy reading that people would no doubt all too easily assign to it. Yes, it is the movie about street cats of Istanbul, but that’s just a hook for audiences whose attentions are being torn this way and that. The truth is that Ceyda Torun’s elegant and enchanting Kedi is so much more.
Even if it was just about the cats – what cats they are! In what can only be described as a particularly unique set of casting, Torun...
Even if it was just about the cats – what cats they are! In what can only be described as a particularly unique set of casting, Torun...
- 2/21/2017
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Plenty of directors have gleefully disregarded W.C. Fields’ old movie adage – “never work with children or animals” – but documentary filmmaker Ceyda Torun all but tossed it out the window when it came time to make her feature debut. With “Kedi,” Torun is all about the animals, specifically an adorable series of Turkish street cats that happily make their homes on the streets of Istanbul. The result is a wonderfully unique and deeply charming look at feral felines and the many humans who love and care for them, all told from a distinctly cat’s eye view.
For the Turkish filmmaker, the indelible cats that roam the various neighborhoods that make up her hometown are more than just subjects, they are cherished friends, and the film finds its true heart when it illuminates the special bonds between the cats and the people who endeavor to make their lives better though food,...
For the Turkish filmmaker, the indelible cats that roam the various neighborhoods that make up her hometown are more than just subjects, they are cherished friends, and the film finds its true heart when it illuminates the special bonds between the cats and the people who endeavor to make their lives better though food,...
- 2/10/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
If Grumpy Cat is the blockbuster franchise of cat videos, “Kedi” is the “Citizen Kane” of the genre. Though technically a sophisticated, artful documentary from Turkish filmmaker Ceyda Torun, “Kedi” will automatically find devout fans among anyone who delights at all things feline. (I’m an unapologetic member of that club.) Shot throughout the streets of Istanbul, the movie takes the inherent appeal of its subject and goes beyond the call of duty.
Cat lovers may be content with a mashup of feline faces bounding around the city, but hell, YouTube’s got that covered. “Kedi” isolates the profound relationship between man and cat by exploring it across several adorable cases in a city dense with examples. The result is at once hypnotic and charming, a movie with the capacity to elicit both the Omg-level effusiveness of internet memes and existential insights. Torun interviews a variety of locals about their bonds with the creatures,...
Cat lovers may be content with a mashup of feline faces bounding around the city, but hell, YouTube’s got that covered. “Kedi” isolates the profound relationship between man and cat by exploring it across several adorable cases in a city dense with examples. The result is at once hypnotic and charming, a movie with the capacity to elicit both the Omg-level effusiveness of internet memes and existential insights. Torun interviews a variety of locals about their bonds with the creatures,...
- 2/10/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
I’m not going to mince words: Kedi will go down as the most unabashedly adorable film of the year. While there are self-proclaimed “dog people” out there, it is difficult to deny the power of a gorgeously composed, blissful image of a cat loving life. Nor can it be understated how infectious their playful and sleuthy energy is. This is the sweet spot in which Kedi resides. However, it has more on its mind than a cute YouTube compilation. Instead, the film is focused on the fascinating existence of our feline friends, and how they interact with — and occasionally guide — us humans.
The feature documentary debut of Ceyda Torun, Kedi weaves its way through the cobblestone avenues of Istanbul, following the local street cats on their daily existence of lounging, slinking, and yes, being incredibly cool. Owned by no one, but vital companions to countless people, these cats are...
The feature documentary debut of Ceyda Torun, Kedi weaves its way through the cobblestone avenues of Istanbul, following the local street cats on their daily existence of lounging, slinking, and yes, being incredibly cool. Owned by no one, but vital companions to countless people, these cats are...
- 2/9/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
This Past Weekend:
Bomb, bomb bomb bomb, Boooooomb! Things just kept getting worse and worse at the box office as this past weekend saw more new releases not meeting up to their potential. The horribly-reviewed horror movie Rings (Paramount) ended up around where I predicted with $13 million, taking second place to M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. The sci-fi romance The Space Between Us (Stx Entertainment) didn’t make much of a mark, opening in ninth place with just $3.8 million with about $1,300 per theater. Robert De Niro’s The Comedian (Sony Classics) tanked worse than many recent movies, making less than a million in 848 theaters or about $1,000 per theater. By comparison, the doc I Am Not Your Negro made about 78% of that amount in 800 less theaters.
This Past Weekend:
Bomb, bomb bomb bomb, Boooooomb! Things just kept getting worse and worse at the box office as this past weekend saw more new releases not meeting up to their potential. The horribly-reviewed horror movie Rings (Paramount) ended up around where I predicted with $13 million, taking second place to M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. The sci-fi romance The Space Between Us (Stx Entertainment) didn’t make much of a mark, opening in ninth place with just $3.8 million with about $1,300 per theater. Robert De Niro’s The Comedian (Sony Classics) tanked worse than many recent movies, making less than a million in 848 theaters or about $1,000 per theater. By comparison, the doc I Am Not Your Negro made about 78% of that amount in 800 less theaters.
- 2/8/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
It’s finally the month of the Oscars, and while you catch up on the best films of last year, there’s also a wealth of promising new films to check out in theaters. From horror to action to documentaries to the top Sundance winner to a Polish cannibal horror mermaid musical, there’s something for everyone. We should also note that, for those looking to repertory options, Josef von Sternberg’s newly restored final film Anatahan will start rolling out this week.
Matinees to See: Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2/3), Youth in Oregon (2/3), The Space Between Us (2/3), David Brent: Life on the Road (2/10), The Great Wall (2/17), Land of Mine (2/17), Kiki (2/24)
15. Xx (St. Vincent, Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin, Sofìa Carrillo, and Jovanka Vuckovic; Feb. 17)
Synopsis: An all-female horror anthology.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: After the anthologies V/H/S and The ABCs of Death ran their course,...
Matinees to See: Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2/3), Youth in Oregon (2/3), The Space Between Us (2/3), David Brent: Life on the Road (2/10), The Great Wall (2/17), Land of Mine (2/17), Kiki (2/24)
15. Xx (St. Vincent, Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin, Sofìa Carrillo, and Jovanka Vuckovic; Feb. 17)
Synopsis: An all-female horror anthology.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: After the anthologies V/H/S and The ABCs of Death ran their course,...
- 2/1/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
For anyone who’s curious about the historical events and municipal policies affecting Istanbul’s thriving population of street cats, Kedi offers little in the way of informative detail. But if you’d just like to hang with a few of the scrappy felines, Ceyda Torun’s entrancing documentary is manna from the cat gods. A collective portrait that’s as elegant as its light-footed subjects, it’s guaranteed to soothe a weary mind, and just might lower blood pressure, too.
The aesthetic treat is only part of the picture in this valentine of a film. Tossing aside a basketful of cat clichés, stereotypes and misperceptions...
The aesthetic treat is only part of the picture in this valentine of a film. Tossing aside a basketful of cat clichés, stereotypes and misperceptions...
- 1/27/2017
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"They are a distinct part of everyone's life." Oscilloscope has unveiled a trailer for the documentary Kedi, a story about the many stray cats living in/around Istanbul, Turkey. If you've ever been there, you've probably encountered a few of these furry friends roaming the streets. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the city, however this film profiles (and follows) seven of them specifically. Described as "a sophisticated take on your typical cat video", this film should both "dazzle and educate" animal lovers of all ages. Kedi is the name of one of the cats they profile, and the rest of them are introduced in this trailer. This definitely does look charming, and it looks much better than your typical cat movie (see: Nine Lives). Worth watching. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Ceyda Torun's documentary Kedi, direct from YouTube: Hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely.
- 12/15/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Hundreds of thousands of stray cats roam the streets of Istanbul and are a distinct part of the citizen’s daily life. For director Ceyda Torun, the felines were such an important part of her childhood that she set out to make the documentary “Kedi.”
The film takes a look at the history of cats roaming freely through the metropolis of Istanbul, as well as shows how these animals live between two worlds – neither wild nor tame – bringing joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. “Kedi” specifically centers on seven kitties: Sari the hustler, Bengü the lover, Psikopat the psycho, Deniz the social butterfly, Aslan Parçasi the hunter, Duman the gentleman and Gamin the player.
“It is said cats are aware of God’s existence,” says the voiceover in the latest trailer. “While dogs think people are God, cats don’t.”
Read More: ‘The Adventures of Puss in Boots...
The film takes a look at the history of cats roaming freely through the metropolis of Istanbul, as well as shows how these animals live between two worlds – neither wild nor tame – bringing joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. “Kedi” specifically centers on seven kitties: Sari the hustler, Bengü the lover, Psikopat the psycho, Deniz the social butterfly, Aslan Parçasi the hunter, Duman the gentleman and Gamin the player.
“It is said cats are aware of God’s existence,” says the voiceover in the latest trailer. “While dogs think people are God, cats don’t.”
Read More: ‘The Adventures of Puss in Boots...
- 12/15/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Who are we to resist a movie full of cats? We’re a bunch of ol’ softies here at The Playlist, and an entire movie filled with felines may not hit the upper reaches of High Art, but you won’t find too many us around here complaining about having to watch it.
Directed by Ceyda Torun, the documentary “Kedi” takes viewers to Istanbul, and follows seven of the thousands of cats that famously roam the streets, with each possessing their own unique personalities.
Continue reading Discover The Cats Of Istanbul In New Trailer For ‘Kedi’ at The Playlist.
Directed by Ceyda Torun, the documentary “Kedi” takes viewers to Istanbul, and follows seven of the thousands of cats that famously roam the streets, with each possessing their own unique personalities.
Continue reading Discover The Cats Of Istanbul In New Trailer For ‘Kedi’ at The Playlist.
- 12/15/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Ten Screen critics select their hidden film gems of the year.Fionnuala Halligan, chief film critic
A Date For Mad Mary
Dir Darren Thornton
This big-hearted Irish romcom, which shared the top prize at Galway this summer, has all the smarts to hit with younger audiences should it get the chance. Just released from prison, surly, boozy Mary pines for her bridezilla Bff who has moved on. Now she needs a date for the wedding and rarely has someone looked for love with less interest. Thornton directs a scuzzily radiant Seana Kerslake as the miserably mad Mary, wildly unpredictable and widely misunderstood, in a film that feels like the love child of Weekend and Once.
Contact Mongrel International international@mongrelmedia.com
Tim Grierson, Senior Us critic
The Student
Dir Kirill Serebrennikov
The dangers of religious fervor overwhelming reason is the cauldron into which The Student drops its audience, taking us to a Russian high school where a Bible-quoting...
A Date For Mad Mary
Dir Darren Thornton
This big-hearted Irish romcom, which shared the top prize at Galway this summer, has all the smarts to hit with younger audiences should it get the chance. Just released from prison, surly, boozy Mary pines for her bridezilla Bff who has moved on. Now she needs a date for the wedding and rarely has someone looked for love with less interest. Thornton directs a scuzzily radiant Seana Kerslake as the miserably mad Mary, wildly unpredictable and widely misunderstood, in a film that feels like the love child of Weekend and Once.
Contact Mongrel International international@mongrelmedia.com
Tim Grierson, Senior Us critic
The Student
Dir Kirill Serebrennikov
The dangers of religious fervor overwhelming reason is the cauldron into which The Student drops its audience, taking us to a Russian high school where a Bible-quoting...
- 12/15/2016
- ScreenDaily
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Exclusive: Zeitgeist Films has announced that it has acquired “Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story,” a documentary about two fascinating (and unsung) heroes of 60+ years of Hollywood history. Directed by Daniel Raim and executive produced by Danny DeVito, the film had its premiere in the Cannes Classics section of the Festival.
The film will open in the first quarter of 2017 with a national rollout to follow.
– Open Road Films has acquired all North American rights to the romantic comedy “Home Again,” which will star Reese Witherspoon. The film was written by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and will be directed by Meyers-Shyer in her directorial debut. Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed the film.
– Exclusive: Zeitgeist Films has announced that it has acquired “Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story,” a documentary about two fascinating (and unsung) heroes of 60+ years of Hollywood history. Directed by Daniel Raim and executive produced by Danny DeVito, the film had its premiere in the Cannes Classics section of the Festival.
The film will open in the first quarter of 2017 with a national rollout to follow.
– Open Road Films has acquired all North American rights to the romantic comedy “Home Again,” which will star Reese Witherspoon. The film was written by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and will be directed by Meyers-Shyer in her directorial debut. Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed the film.
- 9/23/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Spc confirms deal for Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland road movie.
Sony Pictures Classics confirmed on Thursday it has acquired multiple rights from CAA and Bac Films to Paolo Virzì’s follow-up to his acclaimed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection Like Crazy.
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland star in the film, shooting now, as a couple on a cross-country journey in their vintage camper fleeing the pressures of doctors and children.
Spc has acquirred The Leisure Seeker for the Us, Latin America, Asia excluding Japan, Eastern Europe, Portugal and South Africa.
The film marks Virzì’s first film shot entirely in the Us. Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, Stephen Amidon, and Virzì adapted the screenplay inspired by the novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian.
“The Leisure Seeker looks to be a major 2017 find,” said the Spc hierarchy. “This is a rich story that promises career-best performances from Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. We look forward...
Sony Pictures Classics confirmed on Thursday it has acquired multiple rights from CAA and Bac Films to Paolo Virzì’s follow-up to his acclaimed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection Like Crazy.
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland star in the film, shooting now, as a couple on a cross-country journey in their vintage camper fleeing the pressures of doctors and children.
Spc has acquirred The Leisure Seeker for the Us, Latin America, Asia excluding Japan, Eastern Europe, Portugal and South Africa.
The film marks Virzì’s first film shot entirely in the Us. Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, Stephen Amidon, and Virzì adapted the screenplay inspired by the novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian.
“The Leisure Seeker looks to be a major 2017 find,” said the Spc hierarchy. “This is a rich story that promises career-best performances from Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. We look forward...
- 9/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sony Pictures Classics confirmed on Thursday it has acquired multiple rights from CAA and Bac Films to Paolo Virzì’s follow-up to his acclaimed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection Like Crazy.
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland star in the film, shooting now, as a couple on a cross-country journey in their vintage camper fleeing the pressures of doctors and children.
Spc has acquirred The Leisure Seeker for the Us, Latin America, Asia excluding Japan, Eastern Europe, Portugal and South Africa.
The film marks Virzì’s first film shot entirely in the Us. Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, Stephen Amidon, and Virzì adapted the screenplay inspired by the novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian.
“The Leisure Seeker looks to be a major 2017 find,” said the Spc hierarchy. “This is a rich story that promises career-best performances from Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. We look forward to bringing Paolo Virzi’s film to audiences in the United States and around...
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland star in the film, shooting now, as a couple on a cross-country journey in their vintage camper fleeing the pressures of doctors and children.
Spc has acquirred The Leisure Seeker for the Us, Latin America, Asia excluding Japan, Eastern Europe, Portugal and South Africa.
The film marks Virzì’s first film shot entirely in the Us. Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, Stephen Amidon, and Virzì adapted the screenplay inspired by the novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian.
“The Leisure Seeker looks to be a major 2017 find,” said the Spc hierarchy. “This is a rich story that promises career-best performances from Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. We look forward to bringing Paolo Virzi’s film to audiences in the United States and around...
- 9/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Ceyda Torun's documentary KEDi, about the thousands of cats that roam freely throughout Istanbul and have become an essential part of the communities they inhabit. Quote of the day so far from Oscilloscope’s Dan Berger: "I'm definitely more of a dog person than a cat person, but I'll be damned if the subjects of KEDi didn't just charm the sh*t out of me." That was enough for O-Scope to cough up a furball…...
- 9/22/2016
- Deadline
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